Real Madrid: 3 takeaways from a Raphael Varane-inspired win over Huesca

Real Madrid defeated Huesca 2-1 on the road on La Liga’s Matchday 22, as they needed a second-half brace from the unlikeliest of sources, center back Raphael Varane, to pick up all three points against the league’s 20th-placed team.

Here are the three takeaways from the victory.

Vinicius Junior steps up when needed

Earlier this week, we received news that Eden Hazard would miss more weeks with a new injury, and Vinicius Junior was the first name to spring to mind as a player who would need to step up with the Belgian superstar out again.

Vinicius has struggled in recent months, but he put in a real shift on Matchday 22 against Huesca. The Brazilian winger looked lively, and we hadn’t seen the forward in this kind of spirit since his influential second-half of the title-winning 2019-2020 season.

He created several chances with his dribbling, and while his passing could still stand to improve, I would say that he was the best forward on the pitch for Real Madrid with Karim Benzema producing another downer of a performance.

It was wonderful to see Vinicius bounce-back in a pressure spot, as many of us have been wondering if he’s been lacking in confidence due to some uncharacteristically poor displays lately. Per WhoScored.com, Vini had four fouls drawn and three dribbles completed in this match.